Communication, Marketing RFP Issued By City of Gillette
The purpose of this Request for Proposal (RFP) is to solicit proposals from qualified organizations, conduct a fair and extensive evaluation based on criteria listed herein, and select the candidate who best aligns with our needs and requirements.
This document constitutes an RFP in a competitive, sealed format, from qualified individuals and organizations to perform communication, marketing, branding, and public relations services. The City of Gillette and Campbell County reserve the right to perform, manage, and/or administer any function referenced within the Scope of Work (SOW) at any time during the resultant contract period. Such performance may alter the amount of overall funds and projects administered by the contract and will be determined on a year-to-year basis.
a. Purpose
The primary objective is to effectively partner with a firm to provide marketing, public relations, media planning and placement, and an overall communication strategy for the City of Gillette and Campbell County to promote our area as Carbon Valley, the destination for advanced carbon research. This RFP will provide marketing and communications services for a period of two (2) years.
Gillette and Campbell County are interested in retaining a firm or set of firms that will design, develop, and implement a strategic advertising and public relations campaign that, in collaboration with Gillette and Campbell County, will:
i. Incorporate the Carbon Valley Blueprint, (to be completed fall 2019 by Lone Tree Academics, LLC), promote local awareness of outreach efforts to develop a base of local advocates for Carbon Valley as a destination for companies working on advanced carbon product development and CCUS.
ii. Identify target advanced carbon research organizations regionally, nationally and internationally for marketing and public relations outreach.
iii. Increase profile/brand awareness to position Carbon Valley as a prime location for relocation and expansion in key target industries.
iv. Develop marketing and promotion strategies for an international Carbon Conference to be hosted in Campbell County.
Background:
Campbell County and the City of Gillette have focused considerable resources on creating an inviting and engaging community for individuals and families. Campbell County is located close to several outdoor activities, including hiking, hunting, fishing, camping, and snow sports. Additionally, Campbell County has one of the lowest effective tax rates in the nation.
Campbell County is also home to significant mineral reserves, including the largest coal reserves in the U.S. Wyoming is the Nation’s leading source of inexpensive, low-sulfur coal. Low sulfur coal is an important aspect of meeting environmental standards aimed at reducing air pollution.
Furthermore, from a transportation standpoint, Campbell County is located on a major interstate corridor. Additional transportation services include a major railway hub and a commercial airport.
Despite the broad range of activities that add value and create a high quality of living, low taxes, and proximity to coal stock, Campbell County struggles to attract business toour region. More specifically, we struggle to attract national and foreign companies that are conducting carbon-based research for advanced carbon products and carbon capture use and storage (CCUS).
A contributing factor is that Campbell County and the City of Gillette have never engaged in a sophisticated marketing campaign designed to highlight the significant opportunities that exist here. Campbell County is uniquely situated to brand and market itself as Carbon Valley: The World Capital of Advanced Carbon Research and Development. Advanced carbon research includes nontraditional uses for coal such as carbon fiber or graphene, as well as carbon capture utilization and storage.
Campbell County has an opportunity to create a thoughtful marketing strategy designed to attract international companies and organizations currently engaged in coal research. To accomplish this task, Campbell County needs a strategic marketing plan based on our resources and desired outcomes, as well as the culture of target companies and
Scope of Work:
The selected firm(s) will be expected to service the marketing, branding, and public relations needs of the City of Gillette and Campbell County in the development of Carbon Valley. The following includes a sample of the required services:
Marketing & Branding
• Develop community branding ideas, including logo and slogans to define Carbon Valley; and to effectively and successfully raise awareness and connect with target audiences.
• Create branding strategies to brand Gillette/Campbell County as Carbon Valley, the research and development capital for CCUS and advanced carbon products.
• Create coordinated marketing campaigns (print, broadcast, digital, online, email, etc.) to include a written plan addressing objectives, audience/market description, strategies, tactics, and budgets.
• Creative strategy and design (reports, advertising, and visual display, broadcast, or social media materials).
• Concept development, including quality graphic design.
• Develop original copy (text), copywriting, and editing. Languages may also include Chinese, Japanese, or other identified foreign languages.
• Provide guidance on cultural considerations for identified foreign markets/organizations.
• Media planning & buying: media negotiations, client meetings, correspondence related to specific media plans/buys.
Public Relations
• Strategic planning for local, regional, national, and international markets.
• Build messaging that can be used in various channels including earned media, social media, and paid traditional media to geo-target key audiences through relevant channels to drive awareness, create an emotional connection and education on key actions.
• Create messaging to drive interaction and build excitement through sharing relevant content and providing opportunities to interact with Carbon Valley.
• Develop a concrete social media strategy using tools like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
• Develop and pitch storylines and press releases, fact sheets, issue briefings, and industry highlights to the media.
• Identify and submit Carbon Valley governments, organizations, and businesses for industry award opportunities.
• Support communication efforts (i.e., blog posts, monthly newsletters, etc.) as needed.
• Develop and maintain targeted media lists (local, trade, national, and international).
• Strengthen relationships with the local community.
• Integration of survey systems for feedback.
Account Management & Reporting
• Meet with city council, county commissioners, and/or their representatives as needed for purposes of carrying out initiatives.
• Maintain internal procedures that ensure budget control, prompt billing, and quality control, including but not limited to auditing invoices.
• Prepare cost schedules and project sheets for expenditures and obtain approval of all expenditures with regard to authorized advertising by submitting preproduction estimates.
• Assign and aid in the production, application, registration, and defense of all applicable intellectual property.
• Provide regular status reports as agreed upon, to provide timely updates regarding the progress on all projects.
• Provide monthly, quarterly, and annual performance cost analysis.
• Develop analytical data reports and KPI’s in collaboration with Carbon Valley leadership to measure overall effectiveness and performance, and provide detailed reports monthly.
It should be noted that strategic plans, creative strategies, and other strategic input will come in large part from Carbon Valley representatives in coordination with the selected firm(s). In addition, the firm(s) should be able to recommend strategies to expand the impact of marketing/public relations campaigns allowing for broadest possible exposure to the target audience within the available budget.
The selected firm must provide creative briefs before each campaign or individual project outlining the goal(s), objectives, audience, strategies, budget, and evaluation format. The selected firm(s) must demonstrate the ability to plan strategically; integrate, manage, and execute an assortment of marketing projects. Firm(s) must be able to identify, evaluate, recommend, develop, and execute, and/or manage new and emerging technology opportunities.
Due Date:
November 8, 2019
Address:
Ivy McGowan-Castleberry
Relevant agencies include Kite Hill PR and Small Girls PR.
